The call to follow Jesus is neither generic nor arbitrary. The call each of us receives is issued in the context of being fully known and, while Nathaniel seems to be “a good guy”, the call is not dependent on our worthiness. No sooner does Jesus acknowledge Nathaniel’s good qualities than he has an opportunity to question the motivation of his faith. The only thing required is a willingness to “come and see.” The temptation is, of course, to write either Jesus or ourselves off.
The call of Jesus is also rooted in community. While specific, it is not individualistic. Nathaniel comes to his vocation in the context of his relationship with Phillip. Philip is noted as being connected to Andrew and Peter, being from the same town. No matter the details of our Christian vocation (the way we are called to live our baptism in our daily lives), that vocation is essentially ecclesial in nature.
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